Webchatting, sweet potatoes, walk after dinner, brushing teeth

Greg is very familiar with the concept of video webchatting with family. He has been doing it since he was a few days old. Now he smiles in anticipation before anyone is even on the screen. This morning he got excited as I was still starting up my computer.

"I can't wait to see who will talk with me on the computer this time!"

Done with webchatting, Greg moves on to inspect the electrical outlet

The dogs are not fazed by the webchatting or the mini electrician

I made a huge batch of sweet potatoes for Greg this afternoon. The process started at ~2:00 PM and wasn't finished until 6:00 PM. There were many interruptions - diaper changes, dog potty break, nursing, putting laundry in the dryer, making dinner, preventing Greg from knocking over the speaker. The life of a mama!

"Mom, today is a day that ends in 'Y,' so it must be time to do more laundry."

Action shot

We took advantage of the sunlight later in the day and went for a walk with the dogs after dinner. The adjustment is a little difficult, but in general I really like daylight saving time! Soon it will be time to start rollerblading again.

We "brushed" Greg's teeth for the first time tonight. I didn't use any toothpaste yet, I'd like for him to get used to the toothbrush first. We have a ways to go on that! He was not too pleased.

Memaw and Pop-pop's visit: Sunday recap

We finished off our weekend smorgasbord at Brigs - our favorite place for breakfast food in the area. We went right after Greg woke up and ate. It was a little tiring, but nice to beat the crowd.

"Arrrr, matey!"

Yummy food

Greg took a nap upon our return home and the rest of us organized things for Memaw and Pop-pop's departure. When he woke up we took group pictures. We even had time for a set with the dogs.

Great shot!

Greg is laughing at his silly parents

The dogs' personalities shining through

Memaw and Pop-pop headed out in the late morning with the rain accompanying them the entire trip. We all thoroughly enjoyed their visit!

During the next nap, Andrew and I made a 2.5 pound batch of carrots for Greg. The carrots are a much easier job to tackle with help! All of the steps take some time - peeling, cutting, steaming, pureeing, putting into containers. The garbage disposal was once again unhappy with its one and only job, but we were triumphant once more.

Greg continued to improve on standing with the music table. He loves that toy. He could flip the page in the middle for hours.

Flipping the page back and forth, back and forth

By mid afternoon, the rain had stopped and it was brighter outside but still cloudy. Andrew suggested taking Greg in the stroller and going to the grocery store. We wrote out a list and off they went. After they had been gone for a while, I happened to look out the window and noticed the darkening skies. I ran up to the computer to check the radar. It didn't look pretty. There was a line of thunderstorms approaching, and moving fast. I quickly called Andrew to let him know.

As a worried mother and wife, I hovered near the front window keeping an eye on the weather. A few minutes later, the wind started to really pick up. I called Andrew again to offer to retrieve them in the car. He said, "We're on our street, we're almost home!" I went out front and saw Andrew jogging with one hand on the stroller and the other holding a bag of groceries, including flowers for his wife! Greg seemed to wonder what the big deal was. The sky opened up no more than a minute later.

It was time to feed Greg when they got back, so I took him upstairs to his room. As the storm continued, a beagle came wandering in and crept behind the glider. The dogs are not allowed in Greg's room usually, but I let it slide this time since Hank was scared out of his mind from the thunderstorm.

Hank wants you to know that he is not afraid of storms

A few more pictures from the day:

Greg loves riding on Daddy's shoulders

Playing with his new toys

"Dad, did you know you have all of these drawers that open and close?"

"These sweatshirt strings are delicious!"

Consignment sale, mango, garden box, roses, lost sock

I started off this Saturday morning as I like to do - at a consignment sale! This one was The Friendship Closet in Apex. Andrew and I went to the same one a year ago to pick up itty bitty baby clothes. Now I'm getting size 18 month stuff! This boy is growing so fast! My biggest win of the consignment sale season thus far was a basic exersaucer that I got for a friend today - $2.50!

I hurried home in time for Andrew to make it to his weekly football fun. No injuries and a good time was had.

Greg tried mango for the first time today and it was a hit! The actual mango had been sitting on the counter staring at me for a few days. I had never eaten a mango and I certainly hadn't tried to prepare one. So after calling my mom twice and consulting the internet for two written descriptions and one video, I felt as comfortable as I was going to be with the task at hand. Success! The mango also pureed nicely in a few seconds.

Andrew built our second garden box today. (He and my dad built the first one last summer.) He was very happy with the results. Tomorrow we'll fill it with the special dirt mixture. Soon it will be time for planting seeds!

Andrew works on the new garden box

Foremen Max and Scout observe Andrew's work

Swing time!

We have roses in our backyard. The previous homeowners planted them and took good care of them. Seven years ago, they moved out and we moved in. The roses have been pretty much neglected since then. My parents take pity on the poor plants every once and a while and will trim them when they visit. Despite the roses' hardship, most of them have carried on and still bloom beautifully. Today I went out and pruned the roses, and I actually enjoyed it. Well, minus the thorn stabs. Hopefully the attention won't shock the plants too much!

Greg lost his first sock tonight. We retraced our steps at the store and the restaurant, but to no avail. I am surprised that we were able to make it almost nine months before this event. Farewell, tan sock. We hardly knew ye since we just switched sizes.

"This bed is pretty comfy! Kind of smelly though..."

Andrew 1, garbage disposal 0

We made carrots for Greg last night. Unfortunately the garbage disposal said "No, thank you" to the carrot peels. Andrew looked online for suggestions to unclog it. First he tried baking soda and vinegar, which was fun to watch. It's the same chemical reaction that everyone used in school to make a volcano. No luck on the disposal though. Next he tried the plunger - and whoosh! Down went the carrot peels! Andrew 1, garbage disposal 0.

Oh, and if you were wondering if the blade on the food processor disc is sharp, my thumb says yes. Luckily it wasn't too bad, but things like this makes one humble. I made a cardboard sleeve for the disc following that event.

(Apparently I enjoy giving voices to objects. The keyboard agrees.)